TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Dustin Anderson, Director of Community Development
SUBJECT:
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Ordinance Approving a Variation of Use to Allow a Laundromat, a B-1 (Neighborhood Business) Use in an R-4 (Multi-Family Residential) Zoning District, Located at 629 N. Hickory Street (ZBA 2025-55)
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BACKGROUND:
The applicant, Jose Luis Rojas, is requesting to put in a laundromat at 629 N. Hickory Street, which is the northernmost ground-floor commercial unit in the subject building. The subject property contains a mixed-use, two-story, brick building that was constructed in 1916 and maintains its original layout with seven upper-level apartment dwelling units and three commercial units on the main floor. The subject property contained B-2 (local business) zoning between 1939 and 1969 but has been zoned R-4 (low density multi-family residential) zoning since 1969. Due to the property's zoning classification, commercial uses are prohibited. The R-4 Zoning classification appears to have never matched the historic and current land uses. Past commercial uses included taverns, grocery stores, and offices, that were historically accessed by walking. In 2019, the City Council approved an amended Variation of Use to allow the existing grocery store at 625 N. Hickory Street, which is the middle ground-floor commercial unit. A salon is located at 621 N. Hickory Street, which is the southernmost commercial unit.
The proposed laundromat would contain 15 washing machines and 15 dryers and would operate between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. The laundromat would have two entrances, one from the building's northeast corner, and one along the north side of the building. There would be no internal access between the laundromat and the residences on the second floor. A conceptual floor plan of the proposed laundromat business has been included in the staff report packet.
The applicant's proposal for a laundromat is not an allowable use within the subject property's R-4 (low density mul...
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